About the lecture
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most-studied figures in American history. However, historians have given short shrift to one of the most pivotal periods in his life. Yet, during this period, Dr. King conducted his first formal demonstration against discrimination, filed his first lawsuit against racial discrimination and embraced the peaceful protest strategies of Gandhi. All of these events took place in the Philadelphia area five years before King's leadership of the historic Montgomery Bus Boycott in Alabama propelled him to national prominence.
About the speaker
Linn Washington Jr. is a professor of journalism at Temple University in Philadelphia. Washington continues to work as a professional journalist where he specializes in investigative news coverage and analytical commentary. Washington’s reporting and research examines issues involving race-based inequities impacting both the criminal justice system and the news media.
Washington’s reporting career has involved news coverage across America and on four of the world’s seven continents. Additionally, his professional career has included service as special assistant to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Washington co-founded Temple’s Philadelphia Neighborhoods.com, a student-staffed hyperlocal news site, which earned over fifty regional and national awards during Washington’s directorship. Seven of those awards recognized Philadelphia Neighborhoods.com as America’s Best College News Website. Washington has led multiple study abroad programs for Temple students in London, UK and South Africa. Washington is a graduate of the Yale Law Journalism Fellowship Program. He earned a master in the study of law from the Yale Law School. Washington holds a BS in communications from Temple University.